Drapery rod and bracket



I Oct. 7, 19 69 J, v GRABER ET AL 3,470,578 I DHAPERY ROD AND BRACKET 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 23, 1967 Oct. 7, 1969 J v GRABER ET AL3,470,578

DRAPBRY ROD AND BRACKET Filed June 23, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 k\ \l ll) Zv (C 7/ d "m m l 2 Oct. 7, 1969 J v GRABER ET AL DRAPERY ROD AND BRACKET4 Sheets-Sheet 1:

Filed June 23. 1967 Oct. 7, 1969 v GRABER ET AL 3,470,578

DRAPERY ROD AND BRACKET Filed June 23, 1967 4 Sheets5heet i In Md, W416United States Patent US. C]. 16-94 17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA hollow drapery rod having a decorative face at the top, front andbottom of the rod and a trackway at the rear side of the rod withdrapery carriers in the trackway and a cord and pulley assembly in therod. The rod has a mounting rail disposed above the trackway at the rearside of the rod and a rear mounting bracket that clampingly engages therail to support the rod solely at the upper rear side adjacent the planeof the trackway. In one embodiment, the pulley housing cooperates withthe rod to inhibit distortion of the rod.

This invention relates to supports for draperies, curtains and the like.

Related applications This application is a continuation-in-part of theapplication of Joseph V. Graber and Ferdinand F. Salzmann for Supportfor Draperies and the Like, Ser. No. 474,- 397, filed July 23, 1965, nowPatent No. 3,342,247.

Background of the invention This invention pertains to traverse rods ofthe type having a decorative face at the top, front and bottom with atrackway at the rear. It is frequently necessary to provide one or moreintermediate supports for the rod, and these supports must be arrangedso as to avoid interference with movement of the drapery carriers alongthe rear trackway. Heretof-ore, it has been the general practice toprovide intermediate support brackets which extended over the top of therod and at least part way around the decorative face of the rod in orderto support the rod. The present invention supports the rod solely at therear side thereof in such a manner that the bracket is not exposed atthe front of the rod and disruption of the decorative face of the rod isavoided. The intermediate bracket is also adapted for supporting the rodadjacent the pulley housings at the ends of the rod, and the rod andpulley housings are advantageously constructed and arranged so as toinhibit distortion of the rods under the stresses and loads encountereddue to draw cord pull during operation of the rods. The rods are formedwith a mounting rail at the rear side above the trackway and, in oneembodiment, an improved rod shape is provided which enables telescopingof similarly shaped inner and outer rod sections having mounting railsat the rear sides. The mounting bracket is advantageously constructed sothat the same bracket can be used to mount both the outer and therelatively smaller inner rod section.

An important object of this invention is to provide a traverse rod ofthe type having a decorative face at the top, front and bottom of therod and a trackway at the rear of the rod, with an improved mountingarrangement that conceals the bracket from view from in front of the rodand does not disrupt the decorative face of the rod, and which supportsthe rod adjacent the plane of the trackway so that the draperies hangingfrom the rod do not 3,470,578 Patented Oct. 7, 1969 ice tend to causethe rod to rotate relative to the support bracket.

Another object of this invention is to provide a traverse rod andbracket in accordance with the foregoing object having a mounting railat the rear side above the trackway for engagement with a supportbracket and which is shaped to enable telescoping of similarly shapedrod sections.

A further object of this invention is to provide a traverse rod having adecorative face at the top, front and bottom with a trackway at the rearand having an improved rod and pulley housing construction in which thepulley housing is mounted in the rod and coacts with the rod to avoiddistortion of the rod and trackway under the stresses encountered duringuse.

These, together with other objects, advantages and features of thisinvention, will be more readily appreciated as the invention becomesbetter understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionwhen taken in accordance with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing two portions of the rod,the splice member, and pulley houss;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken generally along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken generally along line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken generally along line 7-7 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken generally along line 8-8 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the rail engaging bracket taken generallyalong line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 11 is a transverse sectional view taken on the plane 1111 of FIG.10;

FIG. 12 is a transverse sectional view taken on the plane 12-12 of FIG.10;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the plane1313 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the plane1i-14 of FIG. 11; and

FIG. 15 is a prespective view of a mounting bracket.

Reference is now made more particularly to FIGS. 1-9 of the drawings,wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

For convenience, the embodiment of the invention best illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, is herein sometimes referred to as a drapery support;however, this is done by way of illustration, and it should beunderstood that the support may be used with any type of drapery,curtain, tapestry, or other similar hanging. The drapery support,generally designated by the numeral 10, includes an elongate tubular rodmember 12, and a relatively short end member 14. Decorative plugs 16 and17 may be fitted into the ends of members 14 and 12, respectively.Elongate tubular member 12 is conveniently formed by extrusion and, inthe preferred embodiment, has a generally D-shaped cross sectionincluding an arcuate face wall 18 at the top, front and bottom of therod, and a generally upright rear wall including upper and lower rearwall portions 20 and 21, as best shown in FIGS. 48. Said rear wallportions have their respective edges 20a and 21a spaced apart to definea longitudinal slot extending substantially the full length of theelongate member 12.

End member 14, in the preferred embodiment, is formed from the sameextrusion as elongate member 12. Similar parts are, therefore,designated by the same number followed by the postscript prime Masterslides 24 and 25 and a plurality of auxiliary slides or holders 26 aremounted in the aforedescribed slot, as best shown in FIG. 2. As shown,the master slides are provided and connected to traverse cords 70 formovement in relatively opposite directions toward and away from thecenter of the rod in a manner well known in the art. It should beunderstood that in various uses, only one master slide may be providedfor one-way traverse operation, or that they may be eliminatedaltogether. As best shown in FIG. 7, the holder 26 may be of anyconventional construction and in general includes a body 27 slidablyreceived in the slot. As is conventional, the slide body 27 has a headportion 28 at the inside of the rod, which head portion is larger thanthe width of the slot so as to normally retain the slide bodies in therod. Pendants 29 are attached to the holders and are preferablysupported for swinging movement by a fastener 30. Decorative slide rings31 may be mounted on the holder 26, if desired, to simulate theconventional rings of a ring pole rod. It is contemplated that, in someuses, the conventional rings (not shown) may be utilized with thepresent invention. The pendant 29 has a means for supporting a draperysuch as an opening 32 (FIGS. 1 and 2) for receiving the drapery hook.

A salient feature of the invention is the provision of a rail and abracket for engaging the rail in such a manner that the rod is supportedat the upper rear thereof at a point adjacent the plane of the trackwayin a manner such that the bracket is substantially hidden by the rod ortubular member and the bracket does not overlap the face wall of the rodso as to disrupt the appearance of the face wall. Moreover, the bracketand rail are so arranged as to avoid interference with the carriers asthey move along the rod. This is particularly advantageous forintermediate supports on a drapery rod, but it is contemplated that sucha rail and bracket arrangement may be utilized anywhere on the rod. Inthe embodiment illustrated, a rail, generally designated by the numeral35, is formed integrally with the upper rear wall 20 adjacent the upperend thereof. In its preferred form, the rail includes two oppositefacing, generally upright flanges 36 and 37 attached to the rear wall bytwo spaced web members 38 and 39, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The rail isengaged by a bracket generally designated by the numeral 4t), shown inFIGS. 8 and 9, and which will hereafter be more fully described. Therail is preferably spaced above the slot a distance sufficent to allow amaster slide or a body 27 of holder 26 to easily move past the bracket40 when it is engaged with the rail. In the embodiment illustrated,bracket 40 conveniently includes a generally upright portion 41 forlying contiguous to a mounting surface and having a plurality ofopenings 42 and 43 therein for the entrance of fasteners to be engagedwith the mounting surface, as illustrated in FIG. 2. A horizontallydisposed arm 44 extends outwardly from the upright portion 41 and hasfingers 45 and 46 connected thereto as by fastener 47. In thisembodiment, the fingers 45 and 46 are constructed of spring steel andformed from one piece by stamping. As best shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, thefingers 45 and 46 are arranged so that their outer portions 45a and 46a,respectively, face in generally opposite directions and are resilientlyinterconnected for compressibly engaging the rail. Because of thespringable arrangements of the fingers, the bracket not only securelyengages the rail, but is also easily connected and disconnected. Aplurality of teeth 48 are conveniently arranged on the outer end 45a forengaging web 38 of rail 35 and thereby securely holding the rod fromlongitudinal movement. It is contemplated that similar teeth may bearranged on outer portion 46a or that they may be eliminated altogether.It should be noted that the rail 35 is mounted adjacent the top oftubular member 12, in its preferred form, but that the upwardlyextending flange 36 does not rise above the top of the member. In thismanner, when the bracket 40 is engaged to the rail, a majority of thebracket is disposed behind the rod and is substantially hidden thereby(FIG. 1). Also, not only will the body 27 0f the holder 26 pass by thebracket, but the upper end of the decorative ring 31 will easily passover the bracket 40 as can be seen by comparing FIGS. 7 and 8. Thus, thebracket 40 and rail 35 provide a unique arrangement for supporting thetubular member 12 in a fashion whereby the bracket is substantiallyhidden from view.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-9, the rod members are abutted end-to-end,and an internal splice arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 6 isprovided for joining the rod members. The splice member, generallydesignated by the numeral 50, includes a generally arcuate cross sectionfor lying contiguous to the inside of the front wall of the two membersthat are being spliced together, for example, members 12 and 14.Elongate member 12 has first and second projections 54 and 56 forengaging the longitudinal edges of the splice member to hold the samecontiguous to its inside front wall. For this purpose, first projection54 extends from rear wall 20 and second projection 56 extends from frontwall 18. The member to be spliced thereto, for example, end member 14,preferably has similar first and second projections 54 and 56', asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this manner, the members being splicedtogether are axially aligned by the splice member and the splice memberis conveniently contiguous to the front wall S0 as to be spaced awayfrom the slot to provide for rotation for freedom of movement of holders26 and master slides 24 and 25 along the slot.

The above described internal splice arrangement provides room for apulley housing to be disposed inside the tubular members. The pulleyhousing, generally designated by the numeral 60, is conveniently aninverted U-shape having a generally flat upper end 61 with a pluralityof upstanding bosses 62 thereon, as best shown in FIG. 4. Splice member50 conveniently has a plurality of openings 51 for receiving theupstanding bosses 62 and has a portion 52 adjacent its upper end whichis generally flat for lying contiguous to the fiat end 61 of the pulleyhousing. The pulley housing has a pair of pulleys 63 and 64 mounted onside walls 65 and- 66 of the housing. Side wall 66 has flared portions66a and 66b adjacent either end for lying contiguous to the respectivetubular member in which the housing is disposed, as members 14 and 12respectively, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Flared portion 66a has anotch 67 therein into which an indentation 22 in upper rear wall 20' ofend member 14 may be inserted (FIG. 3) as a fastening means for holdingthe pulley housing and splice member in position. It is contemplatedthat the end member, splice member, and pulley housing may bepreassembled and secured in position by the indentation 22 which isformed at that time. Flare portion 66b is provided with a fastener inthe form of a screw 68 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) for passing through the slotand for clasping the upper and lower rear wall portions 20 and 21 oftubular member 12 and thereby operating as a fastening means to hold thetubular member 12 in position with respect to the housing 60, splicemember 50, and end member 14. It is contemplated that other types offastening means may be utilized; however, the described arrangement isboth economical and convenient. When the proper length of the tubularmember 12 has been selected, the splice member and pulley housing needonly be inserted into the end of said member and the screw 68 tightenedto provide a continuous rod assembly. It should be obvious that thepulley housing is advantageous only when used with the traverse rod and,in such circumstances, a pull cord 70 will be utilized. A downwardlyfacing slot 72 is conveniently provided in end member 14 to provide anexit for the pull cord. When two master slides are utilized, as shown,the cord means 70 passes over one pulley 63, is attached to one masterslide 25, and then passes around end pulley 74 secured in the slot ofthe elongate member 12 (FIG. 2). The cord 70 is then attached to theother master slide 24 and passes over the other pulley 64 andboth endsexit through slot 72. While the illustrated arrangement has the endmember 14 adjacent the right end of the rod, as viewed from the front(FIG. 1), it should be understood that a left hand end member could beutilized, or that two end members may be used, if convenient.

Pulley housing 60 has a pair of fingers 69 and 69' on wall '66. Thesefingers preferably extend through the slots defined by the upper andlower rear wall portions of the respective members and are disposed oneon either side of the abutted ends for engaging an end support bracket80 and positioning the same. As best seen in FIG. 1, the bracket isthereby positioned in such a manner that the lower portion of theabutted ends are covered and thereby gives an appearance of a continuousrod as normally viewed from below. It is contemplated that other typesof position means may be utilized and that the upper portion of theabutted ends may also be covered. The end support bracket 80conveniently includes a body 81 for engaging a mounting surface and anouter member for cradling the rod or members. The outer member isconveniently in the form of a horizontally disposed portion 82 attachedto the body by a fastener 83 and a generally U-shaped portion 84 forreceiving and cradling the rod. The U-shaped portion is preferablyconfigurated to closely receive the rod and, in the embodimentillustrated includes a generally upright rear portion and a generallyarcuate forward portion. An attractive fastener 85, in the form of arosette, is attached adjacent the outer end of the U-shaped portion 84for engaging the member or rod and holding it in position, as best shownin FIG. 5. As discussed above, the bracket 80 covers the lower portionof the abutted ends to give the appearance of a continuous rod.Additionally, the bracket is positioned by fingers 69 and 69' in an areaclosely adjacent the exit of the cord means 70 which pass over thepulleys 63 and 64 and then through slot 72. When the operator pulls onthe cords 70, the greatest amount of force is applied at the pulleys 63and 64 and since the bracket 80 is closely adjacent thereto, it providessupport in such a manner that the force on the cord means is notmultiplied by any significant moment arm. In this manner, the splice ismore effective since the force is not transmitted along the rod for anygreat distance.

As shown in the drawings, the rod members 12 and 14 are formed with alower rib or rail 90 which projects rearwardly of the lower wall portion21 a distance approximately the same as the rearward projection of therail 35 from the upper rear wall 20. The rib 90 is arranged at the loweredge of the rod to have the appearance of a continuation of the facewall of the rod and thus aids in concealing the slides in the trackwayat the rear of the rod, when the rod is viewed from a position in frontof but below the level of the rod. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the rib90 and rail 35 both engage the upright rear portion of the U-shaped end84 of the end bracket 80 and cooperate with that bracket to support therod with its rear wall generally upright.

A modified form of drapery rod is illustrated in FIGS. 12-15. In thisembodiment, the rod is adapted to be roll formed from thin strip metalstock, and the rod is so shaped as to enable telescoping of similarlyshaped sections to provide a longitudinally adjustable rod. In general,the rod includes inner and outer tubular rod sections or membersdesignated 112 and 114. The rod members have like cross-sectionalconfigurations with the inner rod member suificiently smaller than theouter rod member to enable telescoping of the same. Like numeralsfollowed by the postscript prime are used to designate parts of theouter rod member corresponding to those of the inner rod member. The rodmembers 112 and 114 have face walls 118, 118' respectively of generallyU-shaped cross section which define the top, front and bottom of therespective rod members. The face walls form the exposed surface of therod members and, as is customary, are provided with a decorative finish.In the embodiment shown, the face walls are formed with a generallysemi-cylindrical configuration and are longitudinally fluted, it beingunderstood that the face walls could have a modified U-shaped crosssection and may be plain or otherwise finished as desired. The rodmembers 112 and 114 also include upper rear wall portions 120, 120'respectively formed integrally with the upper rear portions of theirface walls 118, 118, and lower rear wall portions 121 and 121'respectively formed integrally with the lower rear edge of their facewalls 118, 118'. The upper and lower rear wall portions are spaced apartto define a trackway therebetween, and the upper wall portions areshaped to form a mounting rail at the rear side of the rod above thetrackway. This .mounting rail is advantageously formed so as tointerlock with the support brackets to be described hereinafter and toalso enable telescoping of the inner and outer rod sections. As bestshown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the upper rear wall portions 120, 120' eachincludes a track wall portion 120a, an upper rail wall portion 12012offset rearwardly from the upper track wall portion, and upper and lowerintermediate web portions 1200 and 120d respectively joining the upperand lower edges of the rail wall portion to the top of the face wall andthe top of the track wall. The rail wall 12% is preferably disposedsubstantially parallel to the track wall 120a and the upper and lowerintermediate web portions 1200 and 120d preferably extend forwardly atan acute angle to the rail wall portion so that the rail has a generallydovetail cross section. The upper edge of the mounting rail ispreferably disposed not substantially higher than the top of the facewall and, as shown, is connected to the rear edge of the face wall by anupwardly and forwardly inclined portion 120e. The intermediate webportions 120c and 120d thus form upwardly facing and downwardly facinggrooves forwardly of the rail wall portion 1211b and closely adjacentthe plane of the upper track wall portion 120a.

Mounting brackets are provided for mounting the rod on a support surfaceindicated at S and, in the emembodiment shown in FIGS. l014, the samebrackets are conveniently used for supporting the rod intermediate itsends as well as adjacent the pulley housings at opposite ends of therod. As best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the brackets include an attachingbracket member having a generally horizontal leg 141 and a brace leg 142terminating in mounting flanges 143. The legs 141 and 142 canconveniently be formed integrally with each other from a single strap bybending the strap upon itself at the forward end 144. An adjustablebracket member 148 overlies the leg 141 and is guidably supportedthereon by flanges 148a. The adjustable member is adapted to be lockedin adjusted position by a fastener 149 that extends through an opening141a in the leg 141 and through a slot 148b in the adjustable bracketmember.

The adjustable bracket member has depending legs 151 at its outer enddefining abutment faces at the forward edges adapted to engage the railwall portions 120!) of the rod members. An upper hook or clamp member152 is formed integrally with the adjustable bracket member 148 at itsforward end and is inclined downwardly and forwardly to engage the upperintermediate web portion 1200 of the rod member. A lower adjustableclamp member 153 is guidably received between the legs 151 and has anupwardly and forwardly inclined hook portion 153a at its forward endadapted to engage the lower inter-mediate web portion 120d. A fastenersuch as a screw 155 extends through the lower clamp member and isthreadedly engaged with the adjustable bracket memher 148 to draw thelower clamp member toward the upper clamp member and thereby positivelyclamp the rail therebetween. The range of adjustment is made sufiicientto enable the same bracket to be used for clamping not only the rail onthe outer bracket but also the relatively smallerrail on the innerbracket. As will be seen, the relatively converging hook portions 152and 153a draw the rail against the abutment faces on the legs 151 tofirmly support the bracket in an upright position and adjacent the planeof the trackway in the rod.

The lower rear wall portions 121 and 121' each includes a lower trackwall 121a preferably disposed substantially coplanar with the respectiveupper track wall 120a, and a channel-shaped rib 121b which joins thelower track wall to the lower edge of the respective face wall. As willbe seen, the channel-shaped rib 12112 opens inwardly of the rod, and therib extends from the bottom of the face wall to a point somewhatrearwardly of the plane of the trackway so as to aid in concealing thedrapery slides when the rod is viewed from a position in front of therod, but below the level of the rod. The rib also functions to rigidifythe rod sections.

' As is conventional, the rod has one or more master slides depending onwhether the rod is a one-way or a two-way traverse and, in theembodiment shown, includes a pair of master slides designated 124 and125 conveniently of a form and construction similar to that described at24 and in the preceding embodiment. The rod also includes a plurality ofauxiliary slides 126, also conveniently of the form and constructiondescribed in connection with the preceding embodiment. The slides may beplain or have decorative ornaments such as the semi-circular ringsindicated at 31 in the preceding em bodiment. A traverse mechanism,including cords 170 and cord guide pulleys 160 adjacent opposite ends ofthe rod, is provided for moving the master slides along the rod. Thehousing for the pulleys is advantageously constructed so as to cooperatewith the rod to inhibit distortion of the same under the stressesencountered when pulling on the traverse cords durin operation of therod.

More particularly, the pulley housings include front and rear walls 165and 166 and end walls 165a and 166a extending between the front and rearwalls. A pair of pulleys 163 and 164 are rotatably mounted between thefront and rear walls as by rivets 167. The rear wall 166 is disposed infront of the track wall portions 120a and 121a, and rearwardly extendingflanges 168 and 169 are formed on the rear wall of th housing. The upperflange 168 projects rearwardly of the track wall 120a into engagementwith the rail wall portion 12812, and the lower flange 169 projectsrearwardly of the track wall 121a into the channel portion 1211; and hasprotuberances 164a which engage the upper side of the channel portion121]). The front wall 165 of the pulley housing is preferably shaped toengage the inner side of the face wall portion of the rod to locate thpulley housing and, as shown, the upper and lower edges of the frontwall of the pulley housing engage the inner side of the face wall of therod. The rod has a downwardly facing opening 172 to allow passage of thetraverse cord 170 therethrough. With this arrangement, the upper flange168 on the pulley housing rests on and is supported by th intermediateweb portion 12tld of the rail and, since the rail is directly supportedby the bracket 140, it will be seen that the downward pull exerted onthe pulley housing, during manipulation of the draw cords 170, istransmitted to the support brackets. In addition, the lower flange 169on the pulley housing underlies and supports the lower track Wallportion 121a so as to inhibit spreading of the trackway.

A slide gate is advantageously provided for facilitating insertion andremoval of the auxiliary slides 126. As best shown in FIG. 13, the upperand lower track wall portions 120a and 121a are formed with registeringnotches 180 and 180 sufliciently large to allow insertion and removal ofthe auxiliary slides therethrough. A slide gate is mounted on the pulleyhousing to close the gate opening and, in the form shown, comprises aresilient plate 181 attached at one end as by the pulley rivet 167 tothe rear wall of the pulley housing. The resilient plate 181 extendsalongside the pulley housing and a gate member 181a is integrally joinedby narrow resilient strips 181b to the plate at a point spaced from therivet 167. The gate portion 181a is offset from the rear wall of thepulley housing so as to resiliently overlie the track wall portions atthe inner side of the rod, and a finger tab 1810 is provided on the gateportion to project rearwardly through the slot. The finger tab isadapted to be manually depressed to move the gat portion away from thetrack portions of the rod for insertion and removal of the auxiliarycarriers. The slide gate is also advantageously employed to releasablyanchor the pulley housing in the rod and, for this purpose, the trackwall portions a and 121a of the rod are formed with opposed notches 184and 184. The end of the resilient plate 181 remote from the mountingrivet 167 is formed with a rearwardly extending tab 189, which tab hasan outer end portion adapted to extend into the notches 184 and 184 tolock the pulley housing against movement in a direction lengthwise ofthe rod. The tab portion 189 has a reduced section 189 (see FIG. 11),which reduced section is sufficiently narrow to be received in thetrackway of the rod. During assembly of the pulley housing in the rod,the tab 189 is lifted or moved away from the rear wall of the pulleyhousing until the reduced section 139' registers with the rod. At thattime, the pulley housing can be moved along the trackway until the tabregisters with the notches 184 and 184. The tab then snaps into thenotches and locks the pulley housing in position. A reinforcing tongue190 is preferably formed on the pulley housing to overlie the tab 189and reinforce the same. As shown in FIG. 11, the tongue 190 engages theinner side of the track wall portions to aid in spacing the pulleyhousing from the trackway.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the rail and bracket structuresupport the rod at the rear side of the rod so that the bracket issubstantially concealed from view from in front of the rod and does notdisrupt the appearance of the decorative face on the rod. Moreover, thebracket and rail structure is such that the rod is supported above andclosely adjacent the plane of the trackway so that the Weight of thedraperies does not tend to cause the rod to swing relative to thebracket. In the embodiment of FIGS. 10-15, the rod is configured so asto enable roll forming the same out of strip stock and to enabletelescoping of inner and outer similarly formed rod sections. Moreover,the pulley housing is anchored to the rod in such a manner that thedownward pull on th pulley housing is transmitted to the brackets thatengage the rail, and the pulley housing also underlies and supports thelower track wall so as to inhibit distortion of the trackway.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A support for draperies and the like comprising, an elongate tubularrod having rear wall means at the rear thereof and face wall means ofgenerally U-shaped cross section defining the top, front and bottom ofthe rod member, said rear wall means including upper and lower generallycoplanar track wall portions vertically spaced apart to define alongitudinally extending trackway therebetween at the rear side of therod, drapery support members mounted in said trackway, said rodincluding means defining a longitudinally extending mounting rail meansspaced above said trackway adjacent the plane of said track wallportions, said mounting rail means having an enlarged rear rail portionand an intermediate rail portion of relatively reduced vertical crosssection forwardly of said rear rail portion, and bracket means having amounting portion disposed rearwardly of the rod and upper and lowerclamping portions at the forward end of the mounting portion clampinglyengaging said rail means and extending into said reduced intermediateportion for supporting the rod at the upper rear side thereof andadjacent the plane of said rear wall portions.

2. A support for draperies and the like in accordance with claim 1wherein said mounting rail means includes an upwardly extending flangeand a downwardly extending flange at the rear side of the rod definingsaid enlarged rear rail portion and spaced rearwardly from the plane ofsaid rear wall portions.

3. A support for draperies and the like in accordance with claim 1wherein said rod includes:

an outer thin-walled rod section having said face wall means, said rearwall means, and said rail means,

and a relatively smaller inner thin-walled rod section shapedcomplementary to said outer rod section and telescopically extendingthereinto,

said inner wall section having its face wall means, rear wall means andrail means extending along the inner side of the face wall means, rearwall means and rail means respectively of the outer section.

4. A support for draperies in accordance with claim 3 wherein said upperand lower clamping portions of said bracket means are adjustablerelative to each other sulficient to clamp the rail means on either theinner or the outer rod sections.

5. A support for draperies and the like comprising, an elongate tubularrod having face wall means of generally U-shaped cross section definingthe top, front and bottom thereof and rear wall means at the rear sideof the rod, said rear wall means including lower and upper generallycoplanar track wall portions vertically spaced apart to define alongitudinally extending trackway therebetween at the rear side of therod, drapery support members mounted in said trackway for movementtherealong, said rear wall means of said rod including a longitudinallyextending rail means between the upper track wall portion and the facewall means at the top of the rod, said rail means including an enlargedrear rail portion offset rearwardly from said upper track wall portionand an intermediate rail portion of relatively reduced cross section anddefining upper and lower grooves respectively opening upwardly anddownwardly, and bracket means including a mounting portion disposedrearwardly of said rod and upper and lower clamping portions extendinginto said upper and lower grooves and clampingly engaging said railmeans for supporting the rod at the upper rear side thereof and adjacentthe plane of said wall portions.

6. A support for draperies and the like according to claim 5 includingmeans on said rear wall means defining a rib below said lower track wallportion projecting rearwardly from the lower track Wall portion adistance approximating the offset of said rear rail portion from saidupper track wall portion.

7. A support for draperies according to claim 5 wherein said rearportion of said rail means has a generally upright rear rail face, saidbracket means having an abutment portion engaging said rear rail face.

8. A support for draperies according to claim 5 wherein said rearportion of said rail means has a generally upright rear rail face, saidbracket means including a pair of legs laterally spaced apart in adirection lengthwise of said rail means and having front abutment facesengaging said rear rail face, one of said clamping portions comprising afirst hook rigid with said legs, the other of said clamping portionscomprising a second hook 'movably disposed between said legs, and meansfor adjusting said second hook toward said first hook to clamp said railmeans therebetween.

9. A support for draperies and the like comprising an elongate rodincluding at least one rod section, said rod section having face wallmeans of generall U-shaped cross section defining the top, front andbottom of the rod section, said rod section having a lower rear wallmeans integrally joined to the bottom of the face wall means at the rearthereof and an upper rear wall means integrally joined to the top of theface wall means at the rear thereof, said upper and lower rear wallmeans respectively having upper and lower track wall portions extendinglengthwise thereof and spaced apart to define a longitudinal trackwaytherebetween, a plurality of drapery support carriers mounted in thetrackway for movement therealong, said upper rear wall means alsoincluding an upper rail wall portion offset rearwardly from said uppertrack wall portion and upper and lower intermediate wall portionsrespectively joining the upper and lower edges of the rail wall portionto the top of the face wall means and to the top of the upper track wallportion, at least one of said intermediate wall portions being disposedat an acute angle to said rail wall portion to define a groove forwardlyof said rail wall portion, and bracket means having a mounting portiondisposed rearwardly of said rod section and upper and lower clampingportions respectively overlying the upper and lower intermediate wallportions of said rod section to engage and support the rod section atthe upper rear side thereof.

10. A support for draperies according to claim 9 wherein said lowerintermediate wall portion is disposed at an acute angle to said railwall portion and said upper intermediate Wall portion of said rodsection has an upwardly-opening generally V-shaped configuration todefine an upwardly-opening groove for receiving the upper clampingportion.

11. A support for draperies in accordance with claim 9 including apulley housing in said rod section in front of said upper and lowertrack wall portions, said pulley housing having an upper housing portionextending rearwardly of said upper track portion and overlying saidlower intermediate wall portion.

12. A support for draperies in accordance with claim 9 wherein saidlower rear wall means includes a lengthwise extending rib wall portionof U-shaped cross section projecting rearwardly from the lower trackWall portion and opening inwardly of the rod, a pulley housing in therod in front of said upper and lower track wall portions and having alower housing portion extending rearwardly of said lower track wallportion into said rib wall portion and an upper housing portionextending rearwardly of said upper track wall portion in overlyingrelation to said lower intermediate wall portion.

13. A support for draperies and the like comprising, an elongate tubularrod having face wall mean of generally U-shaped cross section definingthe top, front and bottom of the rod member and rear wall means at therear side of the rod, said rear wall means including generally coplanarupper and lower track wall portions spaced apart to define alongitudinal trackway therebetween, a plurality of drapery carriermounted in the trackway for movement therealong, said rear wall meansalso including upper and lower forwardly opening channel portions alongthe upper and lower edges of the upper and lower track wall portionsrespectively, drapery traverse means including a pulley housing in therod in front of the track portions, said pulley housing having upper andlower housing portions projecting rearwardly of the track portions intosaid upper and lower channel portions to aid in maintaining the trackportions in proper spaced relation, and bracket means for supporting therod.

14. The combination of claim 13 wherein said bracket means has clampmeans for clampingly engaging said upper channel portion.

15. A support for draperies and the like comprising a generally D-shapedelongate tubular member having an arcuate front wall and a generallyupright rear wall, said rear wall having a longitudinal slot extendingsubstantially the full length thereof; a rail on said rear wall spacedabove said slot and having two opposite facing generally uprightflanges, one of said flanges extending upwardly to a height not greaterthan the uppermost portion of said tubular member, said rail attached tosaid rear wall by two spaced web members; a bracket for supporting thetubular member and including a generally upright portion for lyingcontiguous to a mounting surface, a horizontally disposed arm andrelatively movable fingers attached to the arm and clampingly engagingthe rail whereby the bracket is behind the tubular member andsubstantially hidden thereby; anda plurality of holders each including abody slidably received on said slot for movement past the bracket and ahead portion inside the tubular member and longer than the slot toretain the body on the slot.

16. A support for draperies and the like comprising an elongate tubularmember having face wall means of generally U-shaped cross sectiondefining the top, front, and bottom of the rod member and rear wallmeans at the rear of the rod member having upper and lower portionsspaced apart to define a longitudinal slot extending generally the fulllength of the tubular member, rail means on the upper rear wall portionand adjacent the intersection of the upper rear wall portion and the topwall, said rail means extending generally the full length of the tubularmember and including a rearwardly extending portion and a downwardlyextending portion at the rear end of the rearwardly extending portion,said downwardly extending portion spaced from the rear wall and havingits lower extremity above said slot, bracket means for clampinglyengaging the rail means to support the tubular member and including alower clamping portion engaged with the downwardly extending portion ofthe rail means, said lower portion having an upwardly extending endportion disposed in front of the downwardly extending portion of theflange means, said bracket means including an upper clamping portionoverlying the lower portion and engaging the top side of the rail means,the lower extremity of the bracket means being disposed above said slot,and a plurality of holders slidably mounted in said slot for movementpast the bracket means.

17. A support for draperies and the like comprising an elongate rodincluding an outer thin-walled rod section and an inner thin-walled rodsection shaped complel '12 v o mentary to the outer rod section andtelescopically extending thereinto, each rod section having face wallmeans of generally U-shaped cross-section defining the top, front andbottom of the rod section, said rod sections each having a lower rearwall means integrally joined to the bottom of its face wall means at therear thereof and an upper rear wall means integrally joined to thetop ofits face wall means at the rear thereof, said upper and lower rear wallmeans of each rod section respectively having upper and lower track wallportions extending lengthwise thereof and spaced apart to define alongitudinal trackway therebetween, a plurality of drapery supportcarriers mounted in the trackway for movement therealong, said upperrear wall means of each rod section also including an upper rail wall.portion offset rearwardly from the upper track wall portion and upperand lower intermediate wall portions respectively joining the upper andlower edges of the rail wall portion to the top of itsface wall meansand to the topof the upper track wall portion, at least one of saidintermediate wall portions of each rod section being disposed at anacute angle to its rail portion to define a groove forwardly of its railwall portion, and at least one bracket means having a mounting portiondisposed rearwardly of one of said rod sections and upper and lowerclamping portions respectively overlying the upper and lowerintermediate wall portions of said one of said rod sections to engageand support that rod section at the upper rear side thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1938 French --347 1/1967 Howellet a1. 16019

